Brewers force Game 7 in NLCS

The NLCS is going to a Game 7 after Milwaukee stayed alive with a 7-2 win Friday night over the Dodgers. The winner Saturday will travel to Boston to take on the Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night. If it’s the Brewers, it’ll be their first WS appearance since 1982, when they were in the American League.

Manny Machado was booed mercilessly by the Brewers’ fans because of his dirty play out in LA, and went 0 for 4.

Jesus Aguilar had 3 hits and 3 RBI for the Brewers. It was Aguilar who had the altercation with Machado the other night when Machado kicked Agular’s leg as Machado was thrown out at first.

 

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Boston going to WS. Defeats defending Champ Houston, 4 games to 1.

There will be no repeat champ. Boston beat Houston (and Justin Verlander, aka as Mr. Kate Upton) Thursday evening, 4-1, to advance to the World Series as the AL Champion.

Jackie Bradley was named ALCS MVP. For David Price, finally, a postseason win.

The last time a team repeated as WS Champion was when the Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. As we know, they were one inning away from making it four in a row in 2001.

Tonight the Dodgers try to wrap up the NL pennant in Game 6 of the NLCS. The Red Sox and Dodgers met once in the WS, in 1916 (the Dodgers were known as the Brooklyn Robins then). Boston, led by 21-yr. old Babe Ruth (known for his pitching, not hitting) beat Brooklyn in that Series. The Dodgers that year had Casey Stengel as a starting OF.

The Red Sox and Brewers have never met in a postseason series.

Turning to the Arizona Fall League. The Yanks have some prospects playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs, who are currently 0-8.

1B Steven Sensley
OF Estevan Florial
SS Thairo Estrada
P Jordan Foley
P Hobie Harris
P Matt Wivinis
P Kyle Zurak

 

 

Dodgers go 1 up, Boston 2 up in LCS’s. Didi has successful surgery; Machado

The Dodgers went up 3 games to 2 over Milwaukee and are one game away from returning to the WS with a 5-2 win yesterday in Game 5 on the NLCS. Clayton Kershaw, who has had postseason trouble in the past, pitched like the ace he usually is.

Boston took a 3 games to 1 lead over defending WS champ Houston in the ALCS, beating them 8-6 Wednesday night. Jackie Bradley, who hit a grand slam in Game 3, hit a 2-run HR in Game 4. Closer Craig Kimbrel has been shaky this postseason, but with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth, LF Andrew Benintendi made a diving catch to save the game for Boston. If the ball drops and gets past him, Houston at least ties, and probably wins, the game. Also, fans interfered earlier with a ball that went for an out instead of a HR, and that too, cost Houston. Was the call correct? Who knows, but there is a good article by Joel Sherman in the NY Post today criticizing MLB for continuing to use overweight, 66-yr. old umpires as the OF umps down the line.

Didi Gregorius of the Yankees had successful Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. Once again, he’s expected to miss at least half of the 2019 season.

Meanwhile, one possible replacement for Didi, Manny Machado, isn’t helping his free agent cause. As talented as Machado is, his lack of hustle and sometimes dirty play is turning a lot of people off.

In an interview on the Michael Kay show, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman states that teams have inquired about Gary Sanchez, but that Sanchez is unavailable, even after his disappointing 2018 season.

 

Boston goes up 2-1 in ALCS, Dodgers even NLCS at 2 each.

I was working a lot of OT, so I didn’t see much of either game, but…

in the ALCS, how to piss a game away. 3-2 Boston, top of the eighth, and Roberto Osuna comes in to pitch for Houston. He gets two outs but also gives up two singles. He gets two strikes on the next batter. One strike away from getting out of the inning and keeping his team in the game. He hits the batter to load the bases. He gets two strikes on the next guy and hits him too, forcing in a run. Then he gives up a grand slam. Boston’s good enough without having games handed to them like that.

For Osuna, maybe some karma due to his domestic violence issue earlier this year.

The deciding run in the game? A HR by Steve Pearce, a guy one writer said wasn’t worth the Yankees calling up from SWB a few years ago. Um, ….

In the NLCS, the Dodgers got a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 13th to even the series up at 2 games apiece, 2-1.

Are Yanks targeting Goldschmidt? Brewers go 1 up in NLCS.

From MLB.Com:

Could Goldschmidt be a fit for Yankees?
Oct. 15: Facing a critical juncture this offseason after missing the playoffs in 2018, the D-backs are reportedly expected to listen to offers for a number of their top players, including Paul Goldschmidt.

• Complete list of free agents this offseason

The problem for Arizona, as ESPN’s Buster Olney noted via Twitter, is that there aren’t a lot of obvious fits for Goldschmidt, as many contenders are set at first base. However, Olney speculates that the Yankees could enter the mix for the six-time All-Star, who can become a free agent after the 2019 season.

New York’s current options at first base include in-season acquisition Luke Voit and Greg Bird, who hasn’t been able to stay healthy or consistently produce during his big league tenure. The Yankees will need to decide if either player is a long-term answer.

Voit seemingly has the inside edge to earn a starting job in 2019, as he hit .322 with 15 homers in only 47 games with the club and became an everyday lineup fixture down the stretch. But Voit will be 28 on Opening Day, and he’ll need to show that his 2018 performance was not a fluke.

Meanwhile, Goldschmidt remains one of the best hitters in baseball, recording a .290 average with 33 homers and a .922 OPS in 2018, and he could help the Yankees close the gap with the Red Sox and Astros in the American League.

Goldschmidt, 31, has twice been runnerup for MVP in the NL, and once finished third. He led the NL in HR and RBI in 2013. He is a 6x All Star, 3x Gold Glove winner, and 3x Silver Slugger winner and we don’t know how he will do in GG, MVP or SS this season. He hit .290-33-83 this season, OPS+ 139 and his 162 g. average is .297-31-105, 18 SB, OPS+ 145. A beast. He averages 97 walks and 157 strikeouts per season. Far more accomplished than Bird, far more experienced and a sure thing than Voit. Simply stated, one of the best players in the NL, period. And better defensively, too.

If the Yanks deal for him, they’d want to get him to a contract extension because he is a free agent after the 2019 season.

The Brewers won Game 3 of the NLCS, 4-0, to go up 2 games to 1 in the NLCS.

Chris Sale of Boston has been released from the hospital after his stomach ailment.

Boston evens ALCS at 1 game each, Sale hospitalized.

Boston won Game 2, 7-5 over Houston, to even the ALCS at one game each.

Boston does have a new concern. From mlb.com:

Red Sox ace Chris Sale was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital with a stomach illness on Sunday, and he didn’t travel with the team to Houston, where the American League Championship Series against the Astros will resume on Tuesday.

The Red Sox are hopeful he will be ok to start Game 5 on Thursday.

Game 3 of the NLCS between Milwaukee and the Dodgers is today. That series is also tied.

NFL great Jim Taylor, fullback for the Lombardi Packers of the 1960s, died Saturday morning at the age of 83. #31 for those teams, he was on the 1961, 1962, 1965 NFL champs as well as the Super Bowl I (1966) champs. He scored the first TD in Super Bowl history. He was the one Chuck Bednarik tackled at the 9-yd. line when the Eagles beat the Packers 17-13 for the NFL Championship, and Taylor also won the NFL rushing title in 1962—the only year Jim Brown (1957-1965) did NOT lead the league in rushing.

 

Dodgers even NLCS, Houston takes Game 1 of ALCS

Turning back to live baseball and catching up on the four teams remaining.

After losing Game 1 (and seeing ace Clayton Kershaw give up a HR to a pitcher), the Dodgers had a come from behind win in Game 2, with Justin Turner delivering the big blow, to even the NLCS at a game apiece. The Dodgers and Brewers are off today, and resume the series in La-La Land on Monday.

Game 2 of the ALCS is tonight, and Houston used a four-run 9th inning, featuring two HR, to beat Boston 7-2 in Game 1. Boston only got three hits in the game.